Don't have a flight stick? Turn an Xbox controller into a HOTAS using a 3D printer

The launch of Microsoft Flight Simulator has made me very aware that I don't have a flight throttle and stick, but I'm not committed enough to buy one. Turns out, you don't need to. Just fire up the 3D printer you definitely have, and you can print out a HOTAS that snaps onto an Xbox One controller and connects to its trigger and thumbstick. That's the wild new creation from Akaki Kuumeri, who has even shared the schematics so we can all spin filament into a HOTAS on our own 3D printers.

That is: very good. Very pleasing to see all the hinges and bits working together. Sure, 3D-printing anything is just an idea for most people, but isn't this one a nice idea?

Kuumeri has shared the schematics on Thingiverse so if you do have access to a 3D printer, you can print your own. "You can print just the joystick or the throttle unit too," Kuumeri notes. You can make it snappier by adding an elastic band too, and don't forget to grease the joints.

If you really want to get into making stuff, he has schematics and instructions an actual flight stick powered by an Arduino board, as well as pedals, dual throttles, and more.

You could tailor all this to your body's contours, I suppose. If you're going to fly into a mind-bending abyss, you really want to feel at one with the machine.